Banned cyclist Lance Armstrong says he would cheat again if he was taken back to 1995.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and banned for life from racing in 2012 by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Imploring the world to forgive him for doping, the Texan said his offenses should be seen in context of sporting culture at the time.

'If you take me back to 1995, when doping was completely pervasive, I would probably do it again,' Armstrong told the BBC in an interview on Monday.

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'Forgive me': Lance Armstrong, 43, has implored the world to forgive him for doping, saying his offenses should be seen in context of an 'imperfect' time. He is pictured, right, winning the 1995 Tour DuPont while doping

'People don't like to hear that,' he admits.

The father-of-five revealed he 'feels bad' but still feels like he justifiably won the seven Tour titles he was later stripped of, saying 'there has to be a winner.'

And asked about his doping, Armstrong is quick to make clear he was not alone.

'When I made the decision, when my team made that decision, when the whole peloton made that decision, it was a bad decision and an imperfect time.

'But it happened. And I know what happened because of that. I know what happened to the sport, I saw its growth.'

Armstrong, pictured at a Cancer Congress, was charged with using illicit performance-enhancing drugs

Armstrong confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France

Armstrong, pictured with George Bush, was praised having returned to the sport after suffering with cancer

Armstrong believes he has been made to pay a heavy personal price for an offence he says was committed by many, and is hoping for a reduction in his ban after twice speaking with the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC).

He also believes his seven Tour titles should be restored.

'I think there has to be a winner, I'm just saying that as a fan,' he said. 'There's a huge block in World War One with no winners, and there's another block in World War Two, and then it seems like there's another world war.

'I don't think history is stupid, history rectifies a lot of things. If you ask me what happens in 50 years, I don't think it sits empty... I feel like I won those Tours.'

The one thing that should never be restored is the attitude he had during his hey-day, he says.

'I would want to change the man that did those things, maybe not the decision, but the way he acted,' he continued.

'The way he treated people, the way he couldn't stop fighting. It was unacceptable, inexcusable.'